Electromagnetically operable switch



Sept. 23, 1952 w. G. BOURNE ELECTROMAGNETICALLY OPERABLE swrrcu Filed May 22, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET l Sept. 23, 1952 w. G. BOURNE ELECTROMAGNETICALLY OPERABLE SWITCH 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed May- 22, 1950 Patented Sept. 23, 1952 ELECTROMAGNETIC SWITCH William George Bourne, Acton,

assignor to Rotax Limited, London,

Application May 22, 1950,

In Great Britain May 27,

1 Claim.

This invention relates to electromagnetically operable switches, or contactors, for controlling electric circuits and has for its object to provide an improved construction enabling the electromagnet and the switch contacts to be readily removed for inspection, cleaning or repair.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation, Figure 2 a front elevation and Figure 3 a plan illustrating an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, there is employed ALLY OPERABLE London, England,

England Serial No. 163,372

an L-shaped bracket made from sheet metal or other convenient material, and comprising a pair of upright side members a and a base b. The rear edges of the side members of the bracket are adapted to be secured to the rear side of a switch board or other support 0. The base of the bracket is adapted to carry on its upper side an electromagnet of the solenoid type, comprising an iron frame (I and winding e.

The iron part it of the magnet is attached to a fiat base piece which can rest on the side of the base of the bracket and is formed at its inner edge with a pair of slots g which can be engaged with the underside of the heads of studs h extending from and secured to the base of the bracket. If desired a single slot may be provided, or more than two slots. Near its front edge the base piece I of the magnet is formed with one or a pair of holes through which a fixing screw or screws 1' can be inserted for engagement with the base of the bracket.

The axially slidable vertical core a of the magnet extends through a hole It in the base piece f of the magnet and also through an openended gap m in the base I) of the bracket, and at its lower end it is pivotally attached to a member 0 carrying the movable contacts 1) of the switch. The said member 0 is situated beneath the base of the bracket and is suspended from the base piece of the magnet by a pair of guide rods q extending through the gap in the base of the bracket. Springs 1- are mounted on the rods q for moving the contacts from the fixed contacts s.

The fixed contacts s are carried by a pair of bars t which are slidably attached in drawer-like manner by members it to guides 11 formed on or secured to the underside of the base I) of the bracket, and at the outer end of each bar 15 is formed or attached a lug w through which'can 5 be inserted a fixing screw :11 for engagement with the bracket.

When it is desired to remove the unit comprising the magnet and the movable contacts, the associated fixing screws 1 are released, and the unit can then be slid off the bracket. Likewise when it is required to remove either of the parts t carrying the fixed contacts, the associated fixing screw as is released, leaving the said part free to be drawn out from the bracket.

By means of the invention the detachable and readily accessible mounting thereon of the magnet and the switch contacts can be effected in a very simple and convenient manner. The invention is not, however, restricted to the embodiment above described, as by appropriate modification of construction the bracket may be adapted for the mounting thereon of any other form of electromagnetically operable switch comprising, for example, a single movable contact and a single fixed contact.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Switch mechanism comprising in combination a supporting bracket having a pair of side mem-- bers and an open base portion, an electromagnet having an armature, a base piece carried by said electromagnet and having an opening toallow passage of said armature therethrough, means detachably securing said base piece to said base portion and consisting in part of at leastone stud extending from one side of said base portion, said base piece having a slot in engagement with said stud, at least one contact carried by said armature and movable by said electromagnet, at least one stationary contact with which the movable contact can co-operate, and means detachably securing the stationary contact to said base portion and consisting in part of a guide on said base portion and a drawer like slide engaging said guide.

WILLIAM GEORGE BOURNE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

